Fate / Chronos

Chapter 8: The Chain of the Heavens

Lancer's POV

I was born from a clump of earth. Clay sculptured and shaped by the hands of the gods with the ability to turn into all of creation. My father was Anu, the King of the Gods. My mother was Aruru, the Goddess of Creation.

My eyelids opened thanks to a faraway voice I heard. I woke up in a wasteland. The earth and the sky stretched out as far as my eyes could see.

There was a massive fortress city in the distance that stood out against the scenery.

Though I was given incredible power, there was no rationality or intellect in me after my awakening. My parents could not breathe a soul into me. Because of that, I was simply another creature that ran through the fields with other animals.

However, I did have a purpose. Upon my creation, I was given a task.

"Chain, you will bring the linchpin back to us."

But I was unable to fulfill that task in my current state. I lacked a soul and human will. All I could do was live, wild and untamed. Still, I was content running through the wilderness every day with other beasts. It may not have been perfect but I felt nothing about with it.

However...

I sometimes stopped to look at the fortress on the horizon. I felt as if someone was calling me. It was not my father or my mother.

As my first step to fulfilling my mission, my father instructed me to venture into the Cedar Forest and learn about humanity from a beast named Humbaba, the guardian of the forest.

Humbaba was the child of Utu, the god of the sun, justice, morality, and truth. It was created with the sole purpose of being a complete human being, possessing the innocent heart of a young girl. However, its bestial form only demonstrated how out of touch the gods were with humanity. It was a bald creature as tall as a small building with four arms, a tail, and no eyes. The fangs in its maw and the claws on its paws were sharper than anything on earth.

Upon first meeting Humbaba, I observed it letting out a cry of perpetual hate and unending resentment for the whole world.

I slowly approached it. Humbaba noticed my presence not long after and looked at me with its empty face.

"Chain," it said. "It was foretold that you would come here."

It was the first time that I heard human language. It was so much different, so sophisticated, from the language the animals in the wilderness spoke.

I replied in animal language that my father instructed me to come here to learn about humanity so that I could fulfill my purpose.

"In accordance with the will of the gods, I will teach you what I know," Humbaba said. "You can begin by imitating my language. That is how these humans communicate."

I adjusted my vocal cords to emulate the language Humbaba used. It felt strange at first, but I quickly grew used to it.

"I... understand," I said. "Then, can you teach me more about humans? What do they look like? What is the difference between them and other animals?"

Humbaba looked at me for a moment. It looked as if it was deep in thought.

"I cannot give you a sufficient answer to those questions as I lack that knowledge," Humbaba answered. "I have never left this forest since my creation and have only caught mere glimpses of humans and their civilization. At the very least, I can teach you how to properly communicate with these beings."

I befriended Humbaba as a fellow beast, even if in the end the only thing I learned from it was how to interact with humans.

Before our parting, I erected a garden in the forest for it and made a circlet of flowers that Humbaba placed on its head. Then, I ventured aimlessly through the wilderness again, waiting for my next instructions.